She's an original Annie

At age 8, Lauraine Aanerud was radio voice of famous orphan

At age 8, Lauraine Aanerud was radio voice of famous orphan

June 06, 2006|IDA CHIPMAN Tribune Correspondent

PLYMOUTH -- Leaping lizards, what a voice Lauraine Aanerud had! In 1928, as far as anyone in Chicago was concerned, Lauraine was "Little Orphan Annie." She originated the role on radio, back in the days when everyone listened in. But her days as a star lasted just a year. It was 78 years ago, and few of her acquaintances here know her story. So here it is: It all seemed to come naturally for Lauraine. "My mother told me that when I was just 3 years old, I would have tea parties with my dolls and stuffed animals and I would talk to them, very animatedly, in different voices," she said. "She believed that I had talent in that regard --and even though it was during the Depression -- I was given lessons in public speaking." At Oglesby Elementary School, Lauraine performed in many plays and often was asked to recite for special occasions. At a 1928 American Legion Christmas party, she was one of the entertainers. A talent scout was in the audience. "He contacted my mother," Lauraine said, "and I was invited to audition for a part in a radio show." "Little Orphan Annie," radio's first juvenile series, was based on Harold Gray's comic strip. Lauraine won the part of Annie. If any of this reminds you of Shirley Temple, keep in mind that this was four years before Shirley got her first part. "I remember going on the street car -- an hour and a half each way -- every week day to station KYW-Chicago. It was in the Wrigley Building, which was new at the time." On the trolley, her mother would read the script for the day, and Lauraine would repeat it. "I didn't read well myself, being that young, but I had a very good memory," she said, laughing. "I wish I had just half as good now!" On the way home, the pair would go over the next day's part. "I would repeat the lines, and she would give me the cues. 'Leaping Lizards, Sandy,' always came into the dialogue," she said. Daddy Warbucks and his sidekick, Punjab, also were prominent in Annie's life. She described how the actors would stand in a semi-circle around the microphone. "My mother was always behind me so she could give me a poke if I missed a cue." Lauraine said she enjoyed the experience. She never knew how much she earned -- the checks went into the family coffers. She's sure it wasn't very much. She also did a radio commercial for Frank's Department Store. She still can repeat the catchy jingle, word for word. But tragedy struck. "I had a nervous breakdown," she said, "but not because of Annie." Lauraine was left-handed, and her second- and third-grade teachers, as they were wont to do at the time, were determined to change her over to using her right hand. "I started to stutter uncontrollably," she said. "It was so traumatic." Her doctor felt she needed to be in a quiet, tranquil place. And that's how she first came to live in Marshall County. Her maternal grandfather, Fred Ehrenstrom, a Swedish immigrant, had a farm across from the Blissville Church on the Plymouth-LaPorte Trail. Her mother had grown up there and had been confirmed at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Donaldson. Lauraine remembered going to the farm and to the church for family reunions. She lived at the farm for several months, but she continued to stutter. She still does sometimes. Back in Chicago, she graduated from Calumet High School in 1940 and from Morgan Park Junior College in 1942. At one time, she was in love and was engaged to be married to her high school sweetheart. "His name was Glenn Luttrell," she said. "He joined the Army in 1942 and was killed in Japan. "I never found anyone else that I cared enough for to spend my life with." An animal lover, she yearned to be a veterinarian. "They didn't take women into vet school at that time, though," she said, "and nursing was out of the question because of my stuttering." A family doctor advised her to go into X-ray technology, a new field just opening up. After 18 months of schooling at St. Bernard's Hospital in Chicago and a six months internship, Lauraine was licensed in 1944, as an X-ray technician. She worked at St. George's Hospital for 15 years and 18 more with the Meyer Medical Group. Retiring in 1974, she decided to move to Plymouth. She bought five acres on 6-B road, part of her grandfather's old farm. She put up a pole barn first and then moved in a modular home for herself and her five dogs -- three of them strays -- and numerous cats. "All spayed and neutered," she said. Lauraine helped to establish the Marshall County Humane Society. In the early 1980s, she did things like cleaning out the dog pens at their new location on U.S. 31. "We also had pet tours where we would take dogs and cats to nursing homes to cheer up the residents," she said. Lauraine moved around a couple of times before settling at Garden Court West in 1998. Now age 85, she has a chronic back problem and isn't able to drive anymore, but that doesn't stop her. The owner of a motorized scooter, when the weather is nice, Lauraine gets to the bank, the post office and her favorite eating place, Home Made To Go. She reads large-print books, watches TV and cuddles with Cody, the Siamese cat she got from the shelter a year ago. "He's a lot of company," she said, stroking his back. Both of them purred. Story ideas? Call Ida Chipman (574) 936-1124. Or e-mail: ichipman@thenetanywhere.com